The Kooks' Luke Pritchard has told 6Music that it's not what you know but who you know that'll crack the stateside market.

Says the singer of the band's relationship with US label Astralwerks:

"It took ages for us to get a record deal out there because Virgin US just sort of turned their nose up at it, (but) it's much better for us that we work with Astralwerks now. They're really good people - it's all about who you work with."

The band's second LP Konk is currently at number 41 in the Billboard 200 and they recently sold some 5,000 tickets in New York. Impressive, impressive. But awful, too.